More Than a Business Card
I was gifted with another profound moment this week. Another moment that reminds me of the importance of the work I'm doing; the importance of safe spaces, empathy, and trust. The importance of women being able to circle up with other women. The importance of...
Vulnerability WAS My Superpower. It’s Time to Take It Back!
Wow! It's been a long time, hasn't it? I've been in a DEEP reflective state lately, partly because there are times where I feel like I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown and want to burn it all to the ground while running away. When I feel like that, my most...
The Bigger the Challenge
I'm truly loving this after-school art journaling series and I'm going to be sad when the series comes to an end next week. We started today's class by discussing what was currently hard in our lives. I shared that sometimes the pressures and excess social obligations...
The Undeniable Power of an Art Journal
If you want your child(ren) to have access to an incredibly potent self-discovery tool, get them an art journal. If you want kids to be able to express themselves in a healthy way, get them an art journal. If you want them to be able to come up with creative solutions...
Layers and Textures
This morning was the third of four classes in the adult art journaling series. This is the first series of its kind in the new studio space and to say it's been phenomenal would be an understatement. There has been a heavy emphasis on peace and play, which are two...
The Importance of Wonder, Curiosity, and Creativity for Social and Economic Good
Do you know that by the time people (*all people) reach middle school, almost 85% of their inherent, natural curiosity and wonder has been stripped away? It's a systemic problem. We don't place enough value on creative thought and curiosity is often viewed as...
On Studio Meditations and Washing the Slate Clean
It's been 312 days since I have been able to utilize my studio in any meaningful way. March 5, 2020 was the last day I taught an in-person class—the space has since been relegated to the ranks of a *really* expensive storage locker. I was thinking about some of...
Investing in What Matters
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It's no secret that 2020 was an unprecedented year marked by grief, loss, and disconnection, so I won't belabor that point here. I made a conscious decision when the pandemic hit in March that I was going to be...
On Stained Glass and the Kaleidoscopic Whole
I can honestly say that this is the LAST place I ever would have expected to find myself tonight (or any night, really). But, it was dark by the time I finished teaching so a beach walk wasn't possible and I *really* needed to protect my peace before working the polls...
The Flawed Logic Of “Two Sides of the Coin” Thinking
We’ve been falsely led to believe that there are only two choices at any given time and about any given topic. Only two forks in the road. Only two sides of the proverbial coin. Pro or anti. Yes or no. Left or right. Religious or atheist. Bigoted or tolerant. Educated...
The Easy Thing Is Usually Not the Right Thing
The easy thing is usually *not* the right thing. It's the easy thing to leave your trash all over the beach after a day of fun in the sun. But it's not the right thing. It's the easy thing to not quarantine or wait in long testing lines after you've traveled out of...
Sometimes The Right Decision Is a Difficult One
Hello there! Man, oh man—I miss you! How are you doing? That's not a rhetorical question, I seriously want to know. It's been a series of ups and downs for me the past 4+ months. Some days, I feel like I am drowning in loss and grief and trauma, and other days I feel...